(Jim McIsaac | Getty Images)
There's only one thing more worrisome than the fact that John Hynes felt it necessary to sit the Devils' defenseman who without question possesses the unit's best combination of talent and experience during a game against a member of the NHL's elite. That one thing is that for a majority of the game Damon Severson's absence didn't seem all that noticeable. That's not say that New Jersey didn't spend far too much time hemmed into their own end as the game progressed (regressed, from the Devils' perspective), but it is to say that - outside of John Moore's daily dose of stupid - there weren't as many inexcusable turnovers made by a particular defenseman reading the flow of play about as effectively as the fat 3rd grader in 'Billy Madison'. Despite it further crippling them offensively, I imagine Damon Severson was benched for the amount of times this season in which he's had fans, coaches, and teammates alike saying "ta-ta-ta-today junior!". As a player who received a six year commitment in hopes that his impending improvement would be the proverbial book beneath the wobbly leg to a defense that's currently as stable as a drunk on crutches, he simply has to be better. There's no reason to think he won't, but if watching from the suites for a game plays even a slight role in sending him that message then it was ultimately worth it. As for the guys that actually dressed? Well, after the first period it became clear that they were fighting in a higher weight class. It's not a knock on the effort as much as it an indictment of the amount of inactive talent, but they could be Mel Gibson in 'Unbreakable' and they aren't going to be able to keep up with teams like the St. Louis Blues if they don't learn to stay out of the box. You shouldn't expect to win any games in which you take four offensive zone penalties that wouldn't have even led to anything of substance if they weren't called, never mind a game against a team that's markedly superior. I don't have as much of a problem with them getting turned into a one line show by a complete team that prides itself on it's defense as I do with them making life easier for that team by being undisciplined. Considering the amount of laughably unnecessary trips, slashes, and high sticks taken against a roster that ices Vladimir Tarasenko, it wasn't a question of "if" but "when". The later I've been asking myself all season as they continued their march to the box for infractions that aren't remotely helpful in keeping pucks out of their net. Anyway, a hat tip goes out to Cory Schneider who most definitely won't get the credit he deserves for keeping the score closer than the actual gameplay. Hopefully the seemingly prompt return of Kyle Palmieri to a lineup that's been forced to play way over it's head without him will help ease the burden on everyone (and, fingers crossed, break up the 'Low IQ Line' of Wood/Zacha/Hayes) before the early season irrational optimism runs out...
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